A well established technique of disruption of a beam of shortwave radiation directed to detect and lock onto a distant target is to disperse chaff of electrically conductive particles within the vicinity of the target to disrupt the normal response of such beams. One approach is to disperse chaff of short length electrically conductive fibers such as carbon fibers, metal such as steel fibers or metal coated glass fibers and the like in the path of radiation beams. According to the present invention it is desired to provide a high concentration of conductive short length fibers in tightly packed unbonded on-end relation within a small disk adapted to being burst to widely disperse the electrically conductive fibers for disruption of shortwave energy, such as microwave beam responses.
An object of the invention is to provide a method and means for tightly packing a mass of electrically conductive fibers of short length in on-end relation within a disk adapted to insertion in a cartridge which is designed to explosively discharge the contained disk for dispersion of the conductive fibers.
A problem presented in producing such a disk is how to compact a mass of short length fibers to a desired high density in aligned on-end relation within a surrounding shell of prescribed diameter and depth dimension.
Another problem confronted is how to provide a central opening in the mass of on-end aligned fibers of the disk for placement therein of a bursting force means for dispersion of the fibers. In other words, the disk is desired to be annular in form with the on-end aligned fibers packed to a high density between the inner and outer diameters of the annulus.
An object of the invention is to provide an efficient method and means for tightly packing a mass of conductive fibers of short length in on-end relation within an annular disk.
Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel method and means for producing an annular disk of tightly packed electrically conductive fibers of specified length held together in their packed relation by an annular ring which when burst will provide the mass of fibers in disassociated dispersed relation as a cloud of fine conductive fibers for disrupting the normal responses of beams of electromagnetic radiation directed toward a target.